Hitching device



(No Moae1.) 2 sheets-sheet 1..

J. E. PARKISON. HITGHING DEVICE.

No. 472,934. Patented Apr. 12, 1892.

TEE-

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-*Sheet 2.

J. E. PARKISON. HITCHING DEVICE.

No. 472,934. Patented Apr. 12, 1892.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ELMER PARKISON, OF DENVER, ASSIGNOR OF TVVO-THIRDS TO WILL S.PARKISON, OF GLENYOOD SPRINGS, AND SILAS BERTENSHAW, OF

DENVER, COLORADO.

HITCHING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,934, dated April12, 1892.

Application led July 13, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN ELMER PARKI- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hitchin gDevices; and

I do declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which ro it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a device for hitching horses wherein thenecessity of carrying the bitching-weight inside the vehicle-body and oflifting it therefrom when thehorse is to be hitched is avoided andwherein the zo horse may be hitched before the driver leaves the vehicleand unhitched after the driver enters the vehicle, the whole beingeffected by simple means in an easy and expeditious manner.

2 5 The invention consists in the construction and also the combinationof parts hereinafter par-ticularly described, and then specifically-defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part 3o hereof.

Figure l is a side View of aportion of a vehicle, showing a hitchingdevice suspended therefrom in front of the forward axle. Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing the hitching device suspended back of the forwardaxle. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan, on an enlarged scale compared -with Figs.l and 2, of part of a vehiclebottom, showing the locking device thereinand illustrating the spring-cushion.

4o Fig. et is a vertical section with parts in full y and in dottedlines, showing the arrangement of the several operative parts of thehitching device when the weight is suspended. Fig. 5 is a similar Viewshowing the position of the parts when the weight is lowered forhitching the horse. Fig. 6 is a planview showing the sliding plate movedback from over the opening containingthe eccentric casing. Fig.

7 is a perspective of the locking-eccentric. de- 5o tached from theother parts.

Serial No. 399,372. (No model.)

In the drawings the letter A designates a portion of the vehicle havinga hole or opening B formed in the bottom thereof at the forward portionof the vehicle vimmediately in front of the seat, as illustrated in Fig.2, or in 5 j the front extension or foot-rest, as illustrated, in Fig.l, if it be used on a heavy express wagon, and designed to receive aportion. of the hitching device. This portion of the hitching device mayconsist of a boxing or casing 6o C, having at its upper edgea ange D,adapted to rest upon the bottom of the vehicle around the opening formedtherein, so that the boxing or casing may thus be suspended from thebottom and be held securely in place by suitable meansf-for instance, bybolts or screws E passed through the flange or ears E and into thebottom of the vehicle.

Within the boxing or casing C there is pivoted or journaled a wedge F,in this instance 7o being in the form of an eccentric, the axle orjournal G of which has its bearings in the side of the boxing or casingC. This wedge or eccentric is so mountedl that when turned in onedirection the irregularface :thereof will come sufficiently close toone'- side `of the boxing or casing as to bind between' its face andsaid side a strap that may be passed between the two,so as to holdthestrap irmlyand tightly in place, and thereby suspend a weight that 8omay be attached to said strap. The wedge or eccentricis preferablyweighted orhas its parts so proportioned-for instance, as illustrated inthe drawings-that when it is moved far enough in the other direction torelease the strapits weight will carry it beyond its center, so that itmaydrop farther' away from the binding side of the box, thereby leavingthe strap free to be moved up or down without liability of being caughtor bound bythe wedge or eccen- 9o tric. I prefer to form the boxing orcasing C with a recess H in one side thereof to receive theirregularface of the eccentric when moved from its binding position. When soconstructed, the inside walls I of the boxing or casin g next to saidrecess constitute shoulders, against which ears or lugs J, which may beformed on the eccentric, will strike when the eccentric is' thrown backin said recess, and the eccentric will thus be prevented from fallrooing too far back and will be held in the best position for quick andready action when nec.- essary.

' I provide the top of the boxing or casing with a slide-plate K, whichwill work in suitable guides or ways for instance, in guides L-formed inthe top of the boxing or casing, whichlies inside the vehicle-body. Itis formed with a slot M for the passage ot the strap to which the weightwill be attached. It serves as a cover to the opening B and prevents theloss of small articles through said opening and at the same timeprevents any obstruction coming in contact with the eccentric fromabove. It also serves as a guide to the strap to which the weight isattached, so as to prevent it from lying against the periphery of theeccentric when it is not desired to have contact, and it keeps the strapstraight and always in position; A s the strap which suspends the weightis moved either forward or backward by the hand the slide-plate is movedwith it, at all times keeping the opening B covered and acting as aguide to the strap.

The strap which carries the hitching-weight Nis designated by the letterO, and it passes upthrough the boxing or casing C and then through theslot in the slide K, and it is provided (unless fastened to the seat orother portion of the vehicle) at its upperl end with some suitabledevice-for instance, with a ring or buckle P-that will prevent itvfromslipping downward all the Way through the slide. For the purpose ofguiding the strap from the under side through the boxing or casing Iprovide a rod Q, passed through the casing preferably at its lower endand adja-l cent to the side of the boxing, against which the eccentricwill bind or clam p the strap, leaving enough space for the passage ofthe strap. ping around the cam or eccentric and will guide the strap inits movement and serve as a scraper to remove adhering mud from theStrap. l

A bitching-strap (designated by the letter R) will extend fromthebridle-bit back to the vweight N and be connected therewith in anysuitable manner, preferably by binding it to the end of strap O,although it may be a continuation of said strap. y

In order to hold up and guide the bitchingstrap 0,1 secure a ring orloop S to the thill or poleA of the vehicle and pass the strap th roughit, the strap being entirely free to slide in it.

The preferred manner of attaching the weight N to the'strap O is to forma recess T in the top of the weight and to extend across said recess across-pin U. The strap O is then looped under said cross-pin, as shown,

` and a block U', preferably wedge-shaped, in-

serted in the loop of the strap, so as to prevent t-he strap beingpulled back again from under the cross-pin. f

The heft of the weight suspended by the strap causes the strap to beclampedvbetween This rod prevents the stra-p from lapthe block and thecross-pin, so that the two are held securely together. This construetionadmits also of the weight being adjusted on the strap by simplyloosening the wedgeblock and then slipping the strap and then tighteningthe strap, as before. It also permits the weight to be drawn up closerto the casing containing the eccentric than could be done if thefastening device was above the top face of the weight instead of belowit.

I prefer to use a spring or elastic cushion between the weight and thebottom of the vehicle or the eccentric-casing, so that when the weightis suspended the spring will exert a pressure thereon, ythereby -tendingto steady the same and hold the same against lateral movement. For thatpurpose I have forpurposes of illustration shown one form of springwhich I find very efficient for the purpose. This spring V, asillustrated, is made of stiff wire and bent into coils at d to give itgreater resiliency and has its two ends l) carried downward and formedinto hooks c, in which will lie the arms d, said arms at apoint underthe casing being formed into an eye or loop e for the passage of thestrap O. This spring is secured to the bottom of the vehicle by staplesfor otherwise. When the weight Nis lifted in the operation of suspendingit, the spring is struck by it and pressed up to the position indicatedby the dotted lines in Fig.

, 4 of the drawings, and when the weight falls back slightly (say aboutone inch in actual practice) the spring and weight assume the positionshown in f ull lines in Fig. 4, in which position the spring exerts anelastic pressure on the weight and serves to hold the same againstlateral -movement, although such movement would be very slight if thespring were not used, as there would. be only about IOO one inch of thestrap between the lower edge of the eccentric-casing and the top of theweight. The spring therefore is not a necessity, although when used ithas the advantage stated. I do not restrict myself to the particularform of' spring illustrated. When the weight is upon the ground and thehorses hitched, the springhas the position indicated in Fig. 5 of thedrawings.

I usually prefer to use a leather washer WV between the weight andeccentric-casing, as

IIO

illustrated, so as to prevent battering of the edge of the casing by theweightbeing drawn up hard and suddenly against it. This washer isslipped over the strap O and slides thereon; but its employment is notessential to the device.

In operation when it is desired to suspend the weight beneath thevehicle and thereby unhitch the horse the occupant of the vehicle pullsup the 'strap until the weight is lifted tothe height at which it is tobe'suspended, when the strap is pushed forward by hand in the directionof the front of the vehicle, so that it will be carried over and incontact with the periphery of the eccentric. Then if the strap isallowed to slack the weight will draw it slightly downward, and, beingin contact with the eccentric, it will turn the eccentric so as to causeits irregular or elongated diameter or face to press the strap againstthe wall of the casing or boxing and clamp it thereagainst, asillustrated in Fig. Ll. The weight pulling down on the strap holds theeccentric in the binding position in which it has been moved, and theheavier or harder the weight pulls on the eccentric through the strapthe tighter the strap will be clamped against the boxing or casing, andthus the weight will be suspended beneath the vehicle.

The movement of the strap to bring the eccentric into its bindingposition is very little, so that practically the weight is suspended atthe point at which it is raised previous to the clamping of the strap.When it is desired to drop the weight for the purpose of hitching thehorse, it is necessary only to pull vertically upward on the strap,which movement turns the eccentric away from the binding side of theboxing or casing, and thus releases the strap, so that it is free to becarried downward by the weight as it is allowed to fall to the ground'.The eccentric being heavier on its elongated diameter, as hereinbeforedescribed, a very slight movement of the eccentric is necessary to bringit into the position where its weighted or heavier side will pull itover and away from the strap, so that the strap in being drawn down bythe hitching-weight will exert no iniiuence upon the eccentric, it beingheld away from the eccentric by the guiderod Q. As soon as the weightrests upon the ground it instantly hitches the horse, as thehitching-strap is already attached to it and the other end to thebridle-bit, as previously mentioned. In unhitching, the strap is pulledupward to lift the weight and is pushed across the upper face of theeccentric by the`forward movement of the hand that is raising the strap,so that as soon as the slack is made in the strap the eccentric will byfrictional cont-act of the strap therewith be drawn back into itsbinding position, as before described, and the weight suspended from thebottom of the vehicle.

It will be observed from the foregoing description that the eccentric isbrought into its locking position and also into its unlocking positionby simple manipulation of the hitching-weight strap alone, it being onlynecessary when the horse is to be hitched to lift up the strapsufficiently to release the eccentric and then to let the weight drop,while to unhitch the horse it is only necessary to pull up the strapuntil the weight is lifted the desired height and then press slightlyforward and then allow a little slack in the strap, when the strap willpull on the eccentric by reason of the weight below and automaticallycarry it into its locking position.

No arms or levers are necessary to effect the operation of theeccentric, it being automatic in the manner described. The slideillustrated and described is desirable as a matter of convenience forthe purposes before mentioned of keeping the strap. away from contactwith the eccentric when the weight is to be dropped; but its use is notabsolutely essential to the operation of the invention, although itgreatly facilitates its operation.

I have described with particularity the details of construction andarrangement of several parts; but I do not mean to restrict myselfthereto, as it is obvious that changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit 'of the invention. I-Iaving described myinvention and set forth its merits, what I claim isv 1. `In a hitchingdevice, thecombination, with the boxing or casing, of the eccentricmounted on said casing or boxing, the hitching-weight strap passedthrough said boxing or casing between one side thereof and saideccentric, and the slide-plate having said strap passed through thesame, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. g

2. In a hitching device, the combination,

with the boxing or casing and the eccentric mounted thereon, of thehitchingweight strap passing through said boxing or casing between oneside thereof and 'said eccentric, and the guide-rod for `holding saidstrap awayfrom the lower surface of said eccentric, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

3. In a hitching device, the combination, with the boxing or casing andthe weighted hitching-strap passing through the boxing, of the weightedeccentric constructed substantially as described, with the heft of theeccentric above its axis and mounted in said boxing, substantiallyasshown, whereby it may be thrown to one side or the other of a linerunning vertically through its axis and moved in either direction solelyby the strap engaging the same with frictional contact, substantially asdescribed.

Al. In a hitching device, the combination, with a hitching-weight strapand a bearing for the same to be clamped against, of an eccentric forclamping the strap against said bearing, said eccentric adapted to bemoved into a locking or unlocking position by frictional contact of thehitching-weight strap therewithV and when not clamping thehitching-weight strap to lie out of action atapoint back of a verticalline drawnthroughthe axis of the eccentric, a stop on said eccentric,and a shoulder for said stop to strike against to limit the movement ofthe eccentric beyond said vertical `line in its unlocking position,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a lhitching device, the-combination, with the boxing or casinghaving the recess in one side thereof, of an eccentric mounted in saidboxing orcasing and adapted in one position to have a portion thereof totit in said recess and provided vwith -a stop extending from its end tobear against the casing toone side of said recess, and a hitching-weightstrap passed between said eccentric and one side of the boxing or casingand held in place by said Iso eccentric clamping it against said side,subsaid Weight to steady the same, substantially stantially as and forthe purposes set forth. as and for the purposes set forth. 1o

6. In a bitching device, 'the combination,` In testimonywhereofIatfixmy'signaturein With the bitching-Weight and its suspendingpresenceof tWo Witnesses.

5 strap, of means fol' suspending said. Weight JOHNl ELMER PARKISON.

under the Vehicle-bod y and an elastic cushion Witnesses: interposedbetween the bottom of the Vehicle SILAS BERTENSHAW,

and the Weight `-and exerting a, pressure on S. W. SPRAGUE.

